It's easy to live a Flexible Life
..with Medtronic Insulin Pump Therapy

Ambassador : Susan Payne

When I was first asked if I would be interested in going onto an insulin pump, my reply was “No, I don’t want to wear one”. Eighteen months later, I commenced pump therapy. I hadn’t been able to achieve the control which I wanted to with multiple pen injections, and I also wanted to get good control in the hope that I may one day become pregnant.

Over the 18 months prior to commencing insulin pump therapy, many people I met already wearing pumps told me how nice it was not to have to inject, my response was I didn’t mind injecting. Within 24 hours of commencing pump therapy, I realised what these people meant about not having to inject. I’d had diabetes for 20 years prior to pump therapy and it felt odd, but also very nice to sit down to a meal and not have to have an injection, I could just press a few buttons. It truly was nice not to have to do an injection.

My experience with the pump has been very mixed. My control probably still isn’t where I’d ideally like it, yet it’s much better than it was without the pump. In my opinion a pump is a lot of hard work, not only in the number of finger pricks, but also in really having to think about your foods, and how they affect your BGLs, also the effects of stress and even the slightest exercise on BGLs.

I’ve found that the pump is very good in providing me with the opportunity to adjust my basal (background) insulin whenever needed. This was particularly good for me when bush walking, and to be lucky enough to wear a real-time sensor at the same time, my control was actually fantastic throughout hiking, rather than being highs rebounding from lows an it usually is.

I’m happy having chosen to go on a pump, and I do enjoy not having to inject, it’s just one less thing to remind me about diabetes. My initial thought of not wanting to wear a pump doesn’t bother me now, I find that I don’t notice the pump, yet I also haven’t worn it throughout summer yet, and my feelings may change a little here, I’ll see how it goes.